What Petrol for 944

[Gregor Marshall]

I've just bought a Porsche 944, '86, 2.5, Lux (with Oval dash) and I'm interested to know what fuel to run it on. The previous owner ran it on unleaded.

I've read the recent post about Shell, BP and Tesco but I'm not sure if the electronics on my car are clever enough to notice it is differant fuel or not. I realise the Optimax and Ultimate will probably clean the engine a bit but is it worth the price difference.

Any advice or ideas out there?

[Fatboy]

Alright Dude - Welcome to the Pork Sty! (as it used to be known )

I've got an 88 2.5 lux, and, sad git that I am, keep very detailed fuel/mileage records.

I tried optimax for a few months, and then went back to regular unleaded - I got better (circa 1.5 mpg) on regular 95 ROM unleaded than on Optimax.

I reckon the 944's relatively crude (by today's standards) EFI doesn't have knock sensors and tminig adjustment, and is therefore unable to take advantage of the higher octane fuel.

Therefore, in Summary - use regular 95 RON unleaded.

I do quite fancy building a megasquirt for mine, complete with knock sensors and dual maps (cf early TVR Cerberas with the button for 95 or 97 ROM juice) for unleaded and LPG - but thats an entirely different matter

[fidgits]

yeah as said, just stick regular unleaded in it and save yourself a few bob..

[Gregor Marshall]

Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the advice.

I'll stick to normal unleaded then. Any brand you recommend or is anything ok (ie supermarket petrols)?

Also, whilst I remember, what oil would be best?

Sorry to ask so many questions!! I've wanted a 944 for about 20 years and have a couple of books on them, but I think it's good to get advice from people who have been there and done it so to speak.

[Fatboy]

It's a relatively low compression engine, so should run fine on any Petrol available in the UK - I put Shell in, because the Shell station in Balsall Common is on my way to work and one of the cheapest around, but I'd have no hesistation putting supermarket juice in her.

Just FFS make sure you keep on top of the maintenance, don't forget to change the fuel filter etc - ask me how I know

[track86]

I tried Optimax and BP Ultimate in my 86 944 and never noticed any real difference. However, on Tesco 99 it really flew. The engine was noticeably smoother and and the mid-range much improved. It would pull a higher gear quite happily. Tesco 99 has ethanol in it and therefore more oxygen, which of course engines love. It's also much cheaper than Optimax and Ultimate and is usually about the same as most branded 95 ron fuels.